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Aug 23, 2015 News
“If I had to choose my profession again, I would again choose law. I have been able, over the years, to get satisfaction for numerous clients. At the end of the day, you cannot win all of your cases. But even in those cases you lose, once your clients are satisfied that you did a good job, you feel satisfaction.”
By Jarryl Bryan
The name Kalam Juman-Yassin will evoke memories of a strict Chief Magistrate who once dispensed judgment to countless individuals. The truth is that this multi-dimensional lawyer has also left his legacy in the realm of Sport, serving as President of the Guyana Olympic Association, and has made his mark in varying spheres of society.
Throughout the years, Mr. Juman-Yassin has not shied away from offering his opinions on potentially controversial issues – be it advocacy for Government officials to use their frequent flier miles for the public good or his open criticism of the influx of inexperienced Magistrates flooding the court system.
In particular, he was a foremost voice for measures to be adopted to solve overcrowding in jails. He has spoken out against the previous administration’s failure to set up drug rehabilitation centres, with a system similar to the type that is integrated into the United States justice model and has reformed many drug addicts who moved on to become model citizens.
Kalam Juman-Yassin was born in Lamaha Street, Georgetown on March 4th, 1947 to Mohamed and Bhagmat Yassin. He attended Central High School until sixth form, when he gained his advanced levels. According to Juman-Yassin, his desire to become a lawyer burned even in Central High.
When he exited the school system in 1965, it was to go and work with the Bureau of Statistics the next year. His job was to compile the Consumer Price Index, which was then published in the official gazette. He spent nine months with the Bureau, after which he left for England, to study law. The Ivy League Gray’s Inn was his choice.
The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn is one of four associations in London that legal practitioners must belong to in order to be called to the British bar. It is believed that sections of the Inn date back to the 14th century.
“I then attended the Council of Legal Education at school, did the exams and qualified as a barrister. I was called to the English bar in November 1970. But I always wanted to return to Guyana, so I returned and was called to the Guyana bar in January 1971, before his then Honourable Justice Dhan Jappan,” Juman-Yassin fondly recounted.
PRIVATE PRACTICE AND MAGISTRACY
Since then he has been in private practice in Guyana. However, his growing reputation led to him attracting clients from all persuasions. It also gave him exposure to every possible court system, including the Caribbean Court of Justice
In 1993, Juman-Yassin was appointed Chief Magistrate, serving until 1997 when he resigned.
“During my stint as Chief Magistrate, what I found is the scourge of narcotics. It is a problem all countries face. Families whose members are addicted suffer enormously, especially the parents. There were cases when Mothers came to me in court and asked that I send their sons to jail,” he reflected.
“They tried as much as they could, but the addicted son was abusive. They would threaten them and in fact steal from them. So when a mother could ask that I send their son to prison, you could know what is happening.”
In view of these and other experiences, Yassin has been a strident advocate for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre catering to drug addicts for years.
“It is in the Act since the 1990s. This has not been done, and I have time and time again pleaded with the previous Government for there to be a rehabilitation centre. The law at the moment is, if someone is sentenced for narcotics for three to four years that person can be sent to a rehabilitation centre if there is one,” Juman-Yassin asserted.
He went on to note that if the centre rules the person cured of their addiction, they could then be released before their sentence – in this case three to four years – elapses. This, he opined, could go a far way to easing the overcrowding of the prisons.
Reflecting on his career in the legal profession and as a Magistrate, Juman-Yassin had no regrets. He recalled one instance during Mashramani celebrations, when he was approached by someone who had been sentenced by his very order – and he could not remember the person.
“I passed three young men, I nodded to them and they nodded to me. And one of them said, Sir, you can’t remember me? I said no and he said well, you know you jailed me. I couldn’t remember, but he said I was right. Several persons I have had to send to prison, but the majority, who I met afterwards, there is a good relationship,” Yassin recalled.
“If I had to choose my profession again, I would again choose law. I have been able, over the years, to get satisfaction for numerous clients. At the end of the day, you cannot win all of your cases. But even in those cases you lose, once your clients are satisfied that you did a good job, you feel satisfaction.”
In offering advice to aspiring lawyers, Juman-Yassin noted the importance of studying, and in cases whereby they have been admitted to the bar, of being courteous to judges they appear before. This, according to him, is especially important even if they believe they have gotten a bad judgment.
SPORTS
When Juman-Yassin returned to Guyana in 1971, as a 24-year-old lawyer, he became a member of the Everest Cricket Club. With his increased involvement in the club, he rose to become an Executive member, then Secretary and finally President.
“At that time, first class cricket in Guyana was very competitive. Not like it is now. And members would have followed and supported the teams when they played on Saturdays and Sundays,” he reminisced.
He noted that the club, during his time as an Executive Member, built a lawn tennis court. After its construction, Juman-Yassin and other members took up their adopted game as a personal pursuit. However, the tennis court was to lead to other avenues opening up for the club. It was also to open the way for Juman-Yassin’s entry into Sports administration.
“Because of the tennis court, Everest Cricket Club became a member of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA). I was nominated to represent the club on the GLTA. After some time, I was nominated by the GLTA to represent it on the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) in the late 1980s,” Yassin recalled in explaining his rise to the GOA.
At the time, he said, Justice Rudolph Harper was President of the GOA. In 1992, Juman-Yassin was elected Vice-President of the GOA, before reaching the zenith of his sports-related achievements – President of the GOA – in 1996. His election was unopposed.
“Before I ran for that position, I had consulted with (Justice) Harper and he indicated that he would support my candidature,” the sporting executive and legal expert explained.
The GOA comprises all local Olympic and some non-Olympic sporting associations involved with the Olympics Games. Some Non-Olympic sports which are incorporated are the Guyana National Rifle Association and Guyana Body Building & Fitness Federation.
HOPING TO LEAVE A LEGACY
“One of the things I hope to leave as a legacy is the building of the Guyana Olympic Association. Construction has commenced and has gone a very far way at Liliendaal, behind Project Dawn. When that building is completed, it will be a shining star for sports in Guyana. It will consist of the Olympic offices, as well as offices for the other Associations,” Juman-Yassin said.
“In the upper flat,” he went on “there is going to be a hall with a seating capacity for about four hundred persons.”
When he was elected a member of the Pan American Sports Organization, Juman-Yassin was the first Guyanese to achieve this. He served two terms spanning 2006-2012 as an Executive member. He was also elected as the Regional Vice-President of the Americas for the Commonwealth Games Federation in 2011. This was again a first for Guyana.
SUPPORT AND WILLINGNESS TO HELP
And then there are the high-level administrative undertakings at the local level.
Since the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration has take office, Juman-Yassin has held meetings with the Minister tasked with the responsibility of Sport, Nicolette Henry, during which he indicated to her his support and willingness to help.
“I’m hoping that there will be a greater cooperation between the GOA and the Ministry. One of the grouses with the Government is the appointments to Commissions. The GOA has never been invited to nominate persons to commissions dealing with youth. The GOA represents the youth of this country and 95 percent of sporting organizations,” Juman-Yassin observed, adding that more inclusion would ultimately benefit the Government.
Reflecting on his role in sports development, Juman-Yassin first pointed out that local sport, in particular cricket, is going through many challenges. One such challenge is the priority of income. With little such available, sometimes the incentive to play just wasn’t there. Another was the lack of athletes making the cut for scholarships.
“My role in sports is to see our young athletes develop themselves, so that they could win an Olympic medal. I want to be able to see our young athletes take their academic studies seriously. One of the pitfalls we have with athletes who are talented is that they are not academically inclined. As a result of that, they cannot secure scholarships to Universities outside,” Juman-Yassin related.
“We are (however) working on securing scholarships. When you look at the last Pan American Games, Jamaica has got their training tracks, but when you look at the other countries, ninety five percent of their athletes are training outside of the Caribbean and are at Universities outside.”
He noted that at present there are a few Guyanese training in the United States. He expressed hope that with time, they would gravitate towards universities in the US, in addition to their sporting pursuits.
Yassin has travelled to every continent on earth, occasioned by both his career in sports and his desire to tour. However in reflecting on his country of birth, he notes that the sheer beauty of Guyana’s interior destinations was unrivaled, but some things need to change for it (the country) to be truly appreciated, as it should be.
“There is beauty, indeed. But we need a country free from crime, political turmoil, and we need the necessary infrastructure so that tourists could come. We have a beautiful country; there is no doubt about that.”
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